Bronze Cross of Honor of the German Mother medal, 3rd Class Order

Cross of Honor of the German Mother (Ehrenkreuz der Deutschen Mutter), 3rd class order, Bronze medal issued by the Nazi Party between May 1939, and the end of World War II in May 1945. More commonly known as the Mother’s Cross (Mutterkreuz), the medal served as a propaganda measure to promote National Socialist population policy of glorifying family life and increasing population levels. It was a civilian award instituted following a December 16, 1938, decree by Adolf Hitler to encourage German woman to bear more children. Recipients were nominated by the Nazi Party or government officials, and had to be of pure German origin and good character, politically and socially. The award came with special privileges, including preferential treatment when shopping, respect in society, and childcare services. A woman could also lose the award for poor behavior, such as, neglecting her children or cheating on her husband. The medal was issued in three classes: gold (first class) for mothers with eight or more children, silver (second class) for those with six to seven children, and bronze (third class) for bearing four to five children. In 1939, the first awards were presented to approximately three million German mothers.